Easy Projects

Book Ends

Making book ends is one of the easy projects you can make in a weekend. A set of custom book ends makes a great gift for family and friends, and as a novelty woodcraft item, they sell well at craft markets.

It can be simply a matter of joining two pieces of wood together to make a simple L shape, and it could also evolve into a more creative endeavour. There is simply no limit if you use your imagination.

This book end project was inspired by a project in a book that I found many years ago.

This was a time before computers, so I made a copy on a photocopy
machine and pasted the patterns on to a piece of thin card to use as
a template.

Materials

Just about any kind
of wood will do. The first set I made with 16mm MDF board, but it got
wet and was ruined. So I made another set with 19mm pine project
board from my scrap wood bin.

There is a fair amount of skill involved, and to be quite
honest, I have never had the patience to develop that skill. Why? - because I bought a really cheap one, and have never been happy with it.

Slightly more expensive, but very popular is the scroll saw. This
is the tool that I used for this project. Although it is the less
expensive entry level model, it’s OK for the kind of projects I
make.

Whichever saw you get, make sure you purchase good quality blades.

The third option is a band saw, also very popular for woodworking,
and if you can afford it, get a really good one.

For making straight cuts.

A tenon saw (aka back saw) for making fine cuts, and the ever popular hand saw.

Step by step instructions

This is a PDF file that you can print on your home computer, or at your local office supply store.

Step 1

For scroll saw projects, I prefer to use paper glue to fix the pattern to the work-piece. Because this is a very basic outline, I made a template with a piece of thin cardboard.

Trace the outline and cut out the pattern.

Step 2

Cut out the pattern for the back rest. Note there are two different shapes here, one for each side.

Step 3

The base is already cut to size. Mark out and drill pilot holes for the screws.

Make the L – shape and check to see if the boy and the girl will fit properly.

Step 4

It is probably easier to paint the patterns before assembly, starting with the wood primer, according to the instructions.

Step 5

Once the paint is dry, you can assemble your project and proudly show if off to family and friends. Why not take a photo and send it to me – I would love to see how you made yours, and it would inspire other to make one too.